CD Odyssey Disc 436: Tracy Chapman

This next album snuck up on me a little.  I should’ve known not to ever doubt this next artist.

Disc 436 is… New Beginning 

Artist: Tracy Chapman

Year of Release: 1995

What’s up with the Cover?  This album has a sleeve insert that allows for one of two covers, so I’m including them both.  I think the default one is the close up of a flower.  It is just a bit too mid-nineties folk for my tastes, but I guess that makes sense.  I prefer the other option, which is Tracy looking happy and relaxed, like we’ve interrupted her in her backyard garden.  I use that one in my CD collection, and so here it is for you to enjoy as well:

How I Came To Know It: I’ve known Tracy Chapman since her first album (more on that at my review for her debut self-titled record, linked below). This particular record was a Christmas or birthday gift from my lovely wife Sheila.

How It Stacks Up:  Tracy Chapman has eight albums, but I only have the first four.  Of those four, I’ll put this one last.  I still liked it, but the other three are just that much better.  Since this completes this artist (and since I have three or more albums by her) tradition dictates a quick recap, in order of preference:

1. Self Titled: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 48).
2. Crossroads:  4 stars (reviewed at Disc 234).
3. Matters of the Heart:  4 stars (reviewed at Disc 289).
4. New Beginning:  3 stars (reviewed right here).

Rating:  3 stars

Tracy Chapman makes me feel inspired for a better world, even when she sings about a worse one.  “New Beginning” is not at all new in this regard, and I was glad for it as it shone a little sunshine into my disposition on my way to and from work the last couple of days.

Chapman’s voice is so bluesy and full, and yet incredibly fragile at the same time.  When she sings about her own heartache you want to reach down the speaker wire and give her a big hug, and when she sings about someone else’s you feel like you need the same hug right back just hearing about it. 

“Smoke and Ashes” is the former, where Tracy teams her world-class voice with a brilliantly played piano.  Bemoaning the loss of a callous man she’s right up there with Lucinda Williams, capturing the raw and rough truth of a love that only ever flowed one way.  With Lucinda you expect her to show up drunk at the lover’s house later and throw empties through the window.  With Tracy, you just get the impression that she will shoulder her backpack and head off down the road alone, her eyes downcast but shoulders up.  Oh – and she’ll write a song about what a complete dick you are as well.  “Smoke and Ashes” is a fine burn on that front, pun intended.

Chapman also continues her well-established tradition of a singer with a social conscience, tackling environmentalism, religion and systemic poverty with equal gusto.

I found that while every song on this front is heartfelt, some of the individual lines land with a bit of a thud.  Her environmental anthem “The Rape of the World” is musically beautiful, but in places seems to overstate its theme, and lose a little bit of resonance in the process.  Her humanist anthem, “Heaven’s Here on Earth” appealed strongly to my own sensibilities, but again while musically and vocally powerful, did not deliver at the same level lyrically.  Full marks for demanding the human race pay some attention to the here and now though.

She hits strongest with “Cold Feet,” which has “In the Ghetto” themes of a young man growing up with little hope, trying to do the right thing, but at every turn pressured by his empty pockets to do the wrong one.  ‘Cold feet’ recurs throughout, from inadequate shoes, to the willful pride not to let your peers down (not getting ‘cold feet’ for a robbery), through to the eventual cold feet of the grave when that robbery goes wrong.  It could have come off like a bad high school poetry assignment, but in Chapman’s expert hands it works beautifully.

Musically, the album is aptly titled, as Chapman mixes traditional blues and tribal rhythms in with her usual lyrical folk music.  The song “New Beginning” even features a didgeridoo successfully, which isn’t easy.  This bigger, more upbeat sound is most famously delivered on the record’s single release, “Give Me One Reason.”  This is a classic song about a woman who’s had enough of being ignored.  She doesn’t want to leave, but she’ll be damned if she’ll stay and be wallpaper.  A repeat of the warning to those who wrong Ms. Chapman – she’ll ensure posterity does not remember you kindly.

Before she closes out the album, she also gives us a pretty little song featuring just voice, background vocals and guitar telling the tale of a broken love, advising her audience that while they may have had their heart stolen, even the Tin Man “found he had what he thought he lacked.”  Here is the shoulders-up Chapman, inspiring you to buck up even as the song itself stays respectfully small and morose.  I also like that while the song is called “Remember the Tinman” the reference to the character comes only as a late payoff.  Some of the songs on “New Beginning” beat themes to death a little, and I prefer Chapman to let the idea creep up on you more naturally, as she does here.

Overall, this album isn’t at the same level of excellence of her first three albums, but it is very close.  It is a good record that I am resolved to play more often as a result of giving it a little time on the CD Odyssey.

Damn, this whole journey of musical discover was a good idea. 

Best tracks:  Smoke and Ashes, Cold Feet, At This Point In My Life, Give Me One Reason, Remember the Tinman

CD Odyssey Disc 289: Tracy Chapman

Today's review is being brought to you by a man wearing a suit (I'm just back from an appointment). I might just keep the suit on for the morning, as I like the feel of it after so many days out of one. I expect the excitement of the suit will wear off by noon, however.

Disc 289 is...Matters of the Heart

Artist: Tracy Chapman

Year of Release: 1992

What’s Up With The Cover?: A typical Tracy Chapman cover - a picture of her head - this time so close up, the whole think didn't fit in the frame. I dub this cover with the faint-praise of "OK".

How I Came To Know It: I was a fan of her previous two records, so when this one came out, I was quick to buy it.

How It Stacks Up: I have four Tracy Chapman albums, and after today I will have reviewed three of them. The top three are all very close in quality. "Matters of the Heart" is really the equal to "Crossroads" but since I've already given "Crossroads" the silver when I reviewed it back at Disc 234, I'll reluctantly slip "Matters of the Heart" into a strong third.

Rating: 4 stars.

"Matters of the Heart" is the last of the first stage of Chapman's career, with a very stripped down folk guitar sound. Later albums started to jazz up the production and quite frankly lost me in the process.

Not so, "Matters of the Heart" which has Chapman once again tackling her favourite themes - most notably the plight of the lower classes and the heartache of relationships gone wrong. Nothing new here, as both are time honoured themes in American folk, so the question becomes how well they are delivered.

The answer is, 'with excellence'. The opening track, "Bang Bang Bang" is the story of how violent youths, denied opportunity, will one day turn on the rest of us. I found myself comparing it to Elvis Presley's "In The Ghetto" except at the end of "Bang Bang Bang" the youth shoots you, instead of being shot by the police.

In the unrequited love section of the album we find great songs, my favourite of which is the title track, "Matters of the Heart." I like the way this song lyrically goes into all the hyperbole of love you would expect, but grounds that language in a worldly understanding. The singer knows she is foolish in matters of the heart, but welcomes it, saying:

"I won't call it love
But it feels good to have passion in my life
If there's a battle
I hope my head always defers to my heart"

In addition to themes of social justice and love, the album has a more upbeat feeling than Chapman's earlier work. Many of the songs evoke dreamers. Sometimes we experience the sadness of someone who only has nightmares ("If These Are The Things"), sometimes we are someone who - despite being locked up - still dreams of the sea ("I Used To Be A Sailor") and sometimes we are full-fledged dreamers, aware that our heads are in the clouds but not wanting to have it any other way ("Dreaming On A World").

I find the character in "I Used To Be A Sailor" the most interesting, because the room they are locked in is padded. I wonder why they are in a padded room? Are they really a sailor, or do they only dream they are a sailor and are actually in a mental institution? Or is it some combination thereof - meaning they are insane, but they actually did use to be a sailor? Perhaps they live in some futuristic world where sailing has been outlawed, and those who engage in it are deemed mentally unfit. That last one seems unlikely, but if there's a future where you can't drive a Red Barchetta, surely there's a world where you can't go boating. But I digress...

Musically, the album is softer than the previous two records, and sees a return to the sparser arrangements of her debut album. Her vocals are just as powerful, though, and Chapman never feels anywhere but in the moment when she sings. Consequently she brings you into the moment with her.

If you're a dreamer like me, this record is for you. If you're not a dreamer, then this record will help you appreciate why we dreamers wander about absentmindedly the way we do. Maybe you'll join us for a while.

Best tracks: Bang Bang Bang, I Used To Be A Sailor, Dreaming On A World, Open Arms (no - not the Journey song) and Matters of the Heart

CD Odyssey Disc 234: Tracy Chapman

The next review is proof that not every second album has a sophomore jinx.

Disc 234 is...Crossroads Artist: Tracy Chapman

Year of Release: 1989

What’s Up With The Cover?: Not much, but it sure is out of focus. I take photos of my covers, since it is often quicker than looking for one of suitable size on the net. I can usually get at least one good one out of the four or five I snap, but not so much here. Apart from the picture being fuzzy, I think it is just Tracy sitting on something flat (the beach? pavement?). Either way, she could probably use a pair of shoes. Or maybe she's like the bandit Cobra Verde, in Werner Herzog's movie of the same name, and she doesn't trust shoes not to betray her. But I digress...on with the review.

How I Came To Know It: I had bought her first album when it came out, and like it, so I went for this one when the chance came up. I originally owned this on tape, and eventually upgraded to CD when circumstances and payroll allowed. In fact, because my favourite songs on this record are the first three tracks on side one, and the last three tracks on side two, it was very well suited to tape. You could stop it half-way, flip it and just push play, avoiding any fast forwarding looking for that song you wanted to hear!

How It Stacks Up: I have four Tracy Chapman albums. This one is a very close second to her debut album. Although not as consistently strong, it is still a great record.

Rating: 4 stars. Following on Chapman's very raw and honest debut album, it would be natural to expect her to take a downturn on "Crossroads" but that doesn't happen. If anything, this record sees her taking new risks, adding in unexpected instruments, like those Caribbean steel drums and banjo.

I usually hate those steel drums (mostly because of a sub-par act that plays ad nauseum in my city's downtown core through every summer). However, Chapman wisely doesn't overdo it, and when she does put them in they are artfully in the mix, rather than treated like some attempt to falsely infuse world beat sounds. In short, she makes them novel, rather than a novelty. As for the banjo, who doesn't love the banjo? And if you don't, again, she works it into the sound, rather than having a bluegrass jamboree.

The album is a lot more up tempo than her first, but the songs are just as serious. Once again she covers her usual topics of political commentary ("Material World", "Subcity") and strained or broken relationships ("A Hundred Years", "This Time").

However, I think this album is at its best when Chapman grapples with issues of staying true to yourself despite the many internal and external pressures we face each day. I expect this theme came naturally to her in the wake of being catapulted from obscurity to massive pop star in the space of a few months.

The first and title track, "Crossroads" is an excellent expression of Chapman feeling pressure to be a certain type of artist. It ends with just the right blend of uncertainty, which itself is then partially dispelled with an affirmation that finds its core strength in rebellion:

"Standing at the point

The road it cross you down

What is at your back?

Which way do you turn?

Who will come and find you first

Your devils or your gods?

"All you folks think you run my life

Say I should be willing to compromise

I say all you demons go back to hell

I'll save my soul save myself."

The album ends with the same theme of staying true to yourself with "All That You Have Is Your Soul". The difference is that where "Crossroads" is about external pressures, "All That You Have Is Your Soul" focuses on the internal pressures, and how true character comes from within. The chorus exhorts us as follows:

"Don't be tempted by the shiny apple

Don't you eat of a bitter fruit

Hunger only for a taste of justice

Hunger only for a world of truth

'Cause all that you have is your soul"

A strictly literal listen to the rest of this song would lead you to think of desperate welfare mothers giving birth to unwanted children, but I almost never think of it that way when I hear it. The theme of living an upright life as described in the lyrics above is simply too universal.

It is a book end musically to "Crossroads" as well. Where "Crossroads" is filled with steel drum and instrumentation, "All That You Have Is Your Soul" is dressed down to guitar and just the smallest tinkle of a piano flourish. It always reminds me of a saying I'm fond of, "true beauty steals into only the quietest souls."

This song has been there for me so often through my life, always reminding me to try a little harder. As recently as this morning on my drive to work, it caught me in the midst of an unkind thought, and mellowed me, made me see the world a bit more like that character in Princess Mononoke, "with eyes unclouded by hate." As ever, this is a work in progress, but having a theme song help you along is a nice advantage.

Emmylou Harris recently did a passable remake of this song on her album "All I Intended To Be" but for me, nothing stands up to the original, and if Emmylou can't outdo you, then you can't be outdone.

This album never had commercial success, and it is a pity, because it is a solid piece of work from an uncompromising artist.

Best tracks: Crossroads, Bridges, Freedom Now, A Hundred Years, This Time, All That You Have Is Your Soul

CD Odyssey Disc 48: Tracy Chapman

Back to random. Some time back I rolled my first "protest folk" album - Spirit of the West's Labour Day. Here's my second, which coincidentally came out the same year (to much greater acclaim at the time).

Disc 48 is...Tracy Chapman (Self Titled)

Artist: Tracy Chapman

Year of Release: 1988 (dating this album - on the inside of the jacket it advertises "Full Digital Recording). DDD. Wow - there was a time when Triple D didn't mean what you were just thinking it means. Get your head out of the gutter!

How I Came To Know It: Like a lot of people, I heard "Fast Car" on the radio and was amazed. This was the first Tracy Chapman I bought.

Although not strictly how I came to know this, I am often reminded of this girl I briefly dated that had this rule where she would only allow Tracy Chapman to play in her car. We didn't hit it off, but as bizarre rules go, that one is pretty cool - and I am a bizarre-rules guru. I wonder if she still does that, and if she does is she secretly really sick of doing it but trapped in an oath of her own making. Or maybe when she got a new car, she was free of her solemn vow. The latter seems an honourable exit strategy.

How It Stacks Up: I have 4 Tracy Chapman albums - I'd say this is the best, but I think it is a lot closer for me than a lot of people would think, given this album's sterling critical reputation.

Rating: 4 stars.

Tracy Chapman really took the music world by storm back in 1988 with this album, and listening to it again after a while I can see why. She managed to really build a very unique sound all her own - a sort of protest folk with an urban beat. In "She's Got Her Ticket" you can even hear a reggae beat being laid down behind the folk guitar. It is a very cool mix.

Her topics are mostly about the down and out struggling to get ahead in a world with long odds. She makes you really care for these characters, and she does a good job of making their stories into a larger commentary on the injustices she sees around her.

Coming after the Decemberists, I really appreciated the deep and earnest emotion Chapman puts into these songs. When she talks about a revolution, you can feel it brewing in your gut. When she says she needs a fast car, you feel the urgency of that need.

Even love songs like "Baby Can I Hold You" and "If Not Now..." are really songs about troubles in love. The former sings of the regret of a love lost, the latter of a person who can't get her partner to commit to love at all.

It is pretty despairing stuff, yet strangely I find myself singing along. Not because I am revolutionary - at least not in the way Chapman would suggest. Because these songs are damned catchy, and they have great lyrics. Also, I have had this album a long, long time (going on 20 years) so I know it really well.

This is an album worth owning - I suspect a lot of people have it and rarely put it on anymore. The CD Odyssey is great for reminding me when I am doing this - and I was glad to get reaquainted with Tracy Chapman. If you have it, maybe it is time to haul it out for a listen, after all - as Tracy Chapman would say:

If not now then when
If not today then
Why make your promises
A love declared for days to come
Is as good as none

Best tracks: Talkin' Bout a Revolution, Fast Car, Baby Can I Hold You, For My Lover, If Not Now.